Many have welcomed the election of a non-European cardinal as a Roman Catholic pope. Prior to the election of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, there seemed to be general consensus that a pope from either Latin America or Africa would be a welcome break with the dominance of Europeans over the leadership…

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a 76-year-old Argentine, was elected as the 266th pope which has occasioned an outpouring of unfettered joy from the world’s Catholic community and, let’s face it, no-little pride among South Americans who are happily basking in his glory this morning. What has this got to do with South Africa? Anyone? That’s…

The amount of anger that seems to have poured out as a result of the election of the new pope has left me feeling both slightly confused and a little pissed off. As a Catholic (who doesn’t go to church very often) the very people who would object to all people of a single group…